IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ksp/journ5/v4y2017i2p130-159.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Optimal Asset Allocation of a Pension Fund: Does The Fear of Regret Matter?

Author

Listed:
  • Oyakhilome IBHAGUI

    (Department of Economics, D3-06 Keynes College, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NP, UK.)

Abstract

In this paper, which presents a simplified behavioral finance model, we incorporate regret into the decision-making process of a pension fund and derive the optimal asset allocation of a final-wealth-maximizing pension fund in the accumulation and decumulation phases. We find that the optimal allocation must be congruent in both phases if and only if the pension fund is upside regret averse. In particular, our results suggest that allocation to risky assets must increase through time in the accumulation and decumulation phases so that the pension fund can realize gains from any upsides in the risky asset market, thereby maximizing final wealth and limiting the feeling of regret ex-post. Although decisions in both phases are congruent, we find that the optimal asset allocation generally depends on wealth levels. This evidence implies that separate management of the accumulation and decumulation phases of a pension fund decreases available wealth levels and is not an optimal strategy.

Suggested Citation

  • Oyakhilome IBHAGUI, 2017. "Optimal Asset Allocation of a Pension Fund: Does The Fear of Regret Matter?," Journal of Economics Library, KSP Journals, vol. 4(2), pages 130-159, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:ksp:journ5:v:4:y:2017:i:2:p:130-159
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.kspjournals.org/index.php/JEL/article/download/1281/1279
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: http://www.kspjournals.org/index.php/JEL/article/view/1281
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ait-Sahalia, Yacine, 1996. "Testing Continuous-Time Models of the Spot Interest Rate," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 9(2), pages 385-426.
    2. Ang, Andrew & Bekaert, Geert & Liu, Jun, 2005. "Why stocks may disappoint," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(3), pages 471-508, June.
    3. Gul, Faruk, 1991. "A Theory of Disappointment Aversion," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 59(3), pages 667-686, May.
    4. Paolo Battocchio & Francesco Menoncin & Olivier Scaillet, 2007. "Optimal asset allocation for pension funds under mortality risk during the accumulation and decumulation phases," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 152(1), pages 141-165, July.
    5. Daniel Kahneman & Amos Tversky, 2013. "Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision Under Risk," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Leonard C MacLean & William T Ziemba (ed.), HANDBOOK OF THE FUNDAMENTALS OF FINANCIAL DECISION MAKING Part I, chapter 6, pages 99-127, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    6. Loomes, Graham & Sugden, Robert, 1982. "Regret Theory: An Alternative Theory of Rational Choice under Uncertainty," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 92(368), pages 805-824, December.
    7. Paul Clay Sorum & Etienne Mullet & Junseop Shim & Sylvie Bonnin-Scaon & Gérard Chasseigne & Joël Cogneau, 2004. "Avoidance of Anticipated Regret: The Ordering of Prostate-Specific Antigen Tests," Medical Decision Making, , vol. 24(2), pages 149-159, March.
    8. Brennan, Michael J. & Schwartz, Eduardo S. & Lagnado, Ronald, 1997. "Strategic asset allocation," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 21(8-9), pages 1377-1403, June.
    9. Michenaud, Sébastien & Solnik, Bruno, 2008. "Applying regret theory to investment choices: Currency hedging decisions," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(5), pages 677-694, September.
    10. Muermann, Alexander & Mitchell, Olivia S. & Volkman, Jacqueline M., 2006. "Regret, portfolio choice, and guarantees in defined contribution schemes," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 219-229, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Michenaud, Sébastien & Solnik, Bruno, 2008. "Applying regret theory to investment choices: Currency hedging decisions," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(5), pages 677-694, September.
    2. Mehmet BÖLÜKBAÞ, 2017. "18. International symposium on econometrics operation research and statistics," Journal of Economics Library, KSP Journals, vol. 4(3), pages 402-403, September.
    3. Servaas van Bilsen & Roger J. A. Laeven & Theo E. Nijman, 2020. "Consumption and Portfolio Choice Under Loss Aversion and Endogenous Updating of the Reference Level," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(9), pages 3927-3955, September.
    4. van Bilsen, Servaas & Laeven, Roger J.A., 2020. "Dynamic consumption and portfolio choice under prospect theory," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 224-237.
    5. Korn, Olaf & Rieger, Marc Oliver, 2019. "Hedging with regret," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 192-205.
    6. Martín Egozcue & Xu Guo & Wing-Keung Wong, 2015. "Optimal output for the regret-averse competitive firm under price uncertainty," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 5(2), pages 279-295, December.
    7. Qin, Jie, 2015. "A model of regret, investor behavior, and market turbulence," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 150-174.
    8. Baule, Rainer & Korn, Olaf & Kuntz, Laura-Chloé, 2019. "Markowitz with regret," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 1-24.
    9. Paolo Guasoni & Gur Huberman & Dan Ren, 2020. "Shortfall aversion," Mathematical Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 869-920, July.
    10. Alexandros Kostakis, 2007. "Mind Coskewness: A Performance Measure for Prudent, Long-Term Investors," Discussion Papers 07/07, Department of Economics, University of York.
    11. Kai-Yin Woo & Chulin Mai & Michael McAleer & Wing-Keung Wong, 2020. "Review on Efficiency and Anomalies in Stock Markets," Economies, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-51, March.
    12. Entrop, Oliver & Fuchs, Fabian U., 2020. "Foreign exchange rate exposure of companies under dynamic regret," Passauer Diskussionspapiere, Betriebswirtschaftliche Reihe B-40-20, University of Passau, Faculty of Business and Economics.
    13. Stracca, Livio, 2004. "Behavioral finance and asset prices: Where do we stand?," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 373-405, June.
    14. Diecidue, Enrico & Somasundaram, Jeeva, 2017. "Regret theory: A new foundation," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 172(C), pages 88-119.
    15. El Mouden, Claire, 2013. "The Sciences Of Risk: Implications For Regulation Of The Financial Sector," INET Oxford Working Papers 2013-01, Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford.
    16. Lucy F. Ackert & Bryan K. Church & Richard Deaves, 2002. "Bubbles in experimental asset markets: Irrational exuberance no more," FRB Atlanta Working Paper 2002-24, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
    17. Lucy F. Ackert & Narat Charupat & Bryan K. Church & Richard Deaves, 2006. "Margin, Short Selling, and Lotteries in Experimental Asset Markets," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 73(2), pages 419-436, October.
    18. Enrico G. De Giorgi & Thierry Post, 2011. "Loss Aversion with a State-Dependent Reference Point," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 57(6), pages 1094-1110, June.
    19. Raquel M. Gaspar & Paulo M. Silva, 2023. "Investors’ perspective on portfolio insurance," Portuguese Economic Journal, Springer;Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestao, vol. 22(1), pages 49-79, January.
    20. Ulrich Schmidt & Horst Zank, 2012. "A genuine foundation for prospect theory," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 45(2), pages 97-113, October.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Financial Markets. Asset allocation. Log-logistic. Modified utility. Mortality. Pension fund. Regret aversion.;

    JEL classification:

    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors
    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • C61 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Optimization Techniques; Programming Models; Dynamic Analysis

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ksp:journ5:v:4:y:2017:i:2:p:130-159. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Bilal KARGI (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.kspjournals.org .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.